123-acre South Tipp farm up for March auction

Aerial view of the 123 acres for sale at Grangemockler

Coming up for public auction on March 3 at the Carraig Hotel in Carrick-on-Suir in South Tipperary is a 123-acre farm located in adjacent to the village of Grangemockler.

The property is in the townland of Whitehall, bounded on the northern flanks by the small River Lingaun and with a secondary road forming a natural division of two lots of 23 acres and 100 acres.

It is located just 1.6km from Grangemockler on the N76 (Clonmel-Kilkenny road), 13km from Callan, 20km from Clonmel and 34km from Kilkenny.

According to the selling agents Shee and Hawe of Carrick-on-Suir, this farm is in prime farming country in South Tipperary and is in an attractive rural setting.

“With one lot across the road from the other, we can offer it in two lots or sell it as one lot,” says selling agent David Shee of the probate sale. 

“The 100-acre lot (Lot b) has been in permanent pasture for the last seven years, but before that, it was used for selling a variety of produce, including cereals and potatoes. And the 23-acre lot (Lot c) has been in permanent pasture... The entire farm is in grassland at the moment, but with its crop history, it can grow anything, really. It’s very good quality land.”

The large size of this particular holding will be an important factor in determining the level of interest and its final price on the day of the auction. It’s rare that such a large farm comes on the market in this part of South Tipperary so that fact alone should ensure a lively turnout on the day.

“There’s water supply on the road, and there’s also a stream water supply,” says David, underlining the fact that with easy access and a water supply, this is a property that will generate strong interest locally and from farther afield.

There is a strong dairying scene in the area, and the appetite for more land from the cash-rich sector has become even more pronounced with the increasing requirement for additional acres to reduce their carbon emissions rate per acre. With increasing herd numbers not possible, the only option is for many of them to buy more land.

The guide price for this farm is €1,600,000 (€13,000/acre). Given the way things are going, it might turn out to be a conversative figure. It’s a holding that certainly has the potential to make even more money than that.

Some farms in the vicinity have made considerably more than that, but when it comes to public auctions, it’s never easy to predict. Typically, the run-up to the auction involves interested parties making enquiries but being careful not to show their hand until the day of reckoning itself.

“The level of interest has been good,” says David. “We’ve had a good few local people expressing an interest in it, and we were getting calls locally from people even before the farm came onto the market officially...

“It’s a rarity, of course. You wouldn’t be getting many blocks of land like that in the area, and it’s a genuine sale in the circumstances.”